Ant Picnic: A Fast Finish

This quilt, Ant Picnic, was a fun fast finish. (Say that three times fast.)  I made it for an auction raising money for youth summer camps in my new ward at church.  It was a great stash buster because it used up all of the ant picnic fabric and all of a mystery red solid.

I had the perfect amount of fabric to make a quilt 72 x 84 inches with a pieced backing.  I just had to add some Kona Black for the binding.

I was able to match the plaid when sewing the pieces together, but I did end up with some partial ants at the seam.  I don't think anyone will notice unless they are looking for it.

I used a comfort loft polyester batting and a basting spray.  When using a polyester batting (which I usually avoid) I spray both the batting and fabric.  The double spray holds the layers together very well for machine quilting on my Tiara.  (I learned this tip from S.O.T.A.K. Handmade.)

I quilted it with a large meander.  This huge quilt only took three and a half hours to machine quilt.

I finished the quilt the day of the auction and took some pictures in my neighbor's yard while battling the wind.

Quilt Stats #181
Name:  Ant Picnic
Pattern:  Whole cloth with pieced back
Fabric: From my old stash and Kona Black
Amount Used: 9 yards
Size: About 72 x 84 inches
Batting: Comfort Loft Polyester
Date Finished: May 2016
What I learned:

• Large meandering goes fast on my Tiara!  

As I was making the quilt I was very worried that nobody would like it or bid on it.  I was prepared to buy it back from the auction if I needed to.  However, a few different people bid on it.  The very neighbor whose yard I took the pictures in is the one who ended up with it.  I guess she also thought it would be fun for picnics by the lake.  

XX,
Jasmine

P.S.  I will be linking up with some of the fun parties on my sidebar. Check them out for more quilty inspiration.